Sheldon Museum: A Big Shock to My Life

I had heard about Sheldon Museum before I came there. The collections of the Sheldon Art Association houses were designed by Philip Johnson in 1888. However, when I came into the museum, I found it has secretes more than I could image.

The first thing is that the collections comprise more than 12,000 artworks in diverse media, and it shifts in 3 weeks. The museum's comprehensive collection of American art includes prominent holdings of 19th-century landscape and still life, American Impressionism, early Modernism, geometric abstraction, Abstract Expressionism, pop, minimalism and contemporary art.

For me the most impressive art work is the unfolding center, a collaborative effort of visual artist Susan York and Arthur Sze. They used abstract graphite drawings to explain what their thoughts were. On my first eye, I saw all of those collections are in square or rectangle. And then two contrast colors: black and white caught my eyes. I guess maybe they what to describe the world it not all of goodness. The administrator reminded us that two different colors made it look like empty. It is like life. We couldn’t always attempt the most satisfaction and we do have regret to our choices, but those defects made us more authentic. Also along boundary of the black and white is poetry from Arthur Sze. 

Susan York, Unfolding Center no. 1.

The Bruce and Jean Conner also touched my heart. It was built for a romantic couple Bruce Conner (BFA 1956) and Jean Sandstedt (BFA 1955) who had met in a painting class at the University of Nebraska. To some extent, the two paintings below were shown a similar style of drawing. Those two were from a teacher and his students, respectively. They used squares and the same sense of color in one picture. It also reminded me that a teacher plays an important role in our life, and their behavior would influence students subtly. Hence, as a learner we should respect every teacher in our life. Maybe the next painters are you!

UNTITLED Jean Conner

White Sky Jean Conner